There are certainly a number of popular bands that fit into the genre of “Doom metal” which tends to be moody atmospheric music that almost is depressing in feeling. Truth is that I am not very fond of most of these bands or the doom metal category in general; I guess I feel like life is depressing enough sometimes without adding fuel to the fire. Then one fine day I stumble upon Swallow the Sun. This band is the fusion of the two Finnish outfits, black metallers Funeris Nocturnum and melodic rockers Plutonium Orange. So now you are asking yourself what is the end result of melodic rock and black metal? The music may fit the moniker “Doom metal” but the answer is simply Brilliance.

The first thing that struck me was the overall production and instrumentation, which was superb, especially for a demo. There is never a moment where one instrument outweighs another and for once, you can actually hear every band member clearly, every cymbal crash, every bass line…. everything. Swallow the Sun has also done the impossible and found the perfect balance between melodic and heavy and there is only such a fine line in-between. From band member Ruho’s beautiful introductory keyboard track to the last chill-bump inducing chord played this album obtains an overall moody atmosphere and feeling that is inherit throughout but is never depressing or dreary. Every track also carries the overall tone and moodiness that has been established without the feeling of repetition, and every song flows into the next for a seamless result. For being a relatively new outfit Swallow the Sun perform flawlessly together with each member complimenting the next in terms of orchestration. Every member also shows an extreme overall range, inclusively drummer Pasi Pasanen with an outstanding display of dynamic percussion and vocalist Mikko Kotamäki who strays a little from his black metal voice and incorporates a deeper, almost guttural tone. I always like to point out my favorite tracks on an album but this is truly an impossible task as I thought the entire demo was killer. I would tell you to run out and buy this demo but that is also impossible as it is not for sale at the moment. However, these tracks will be available on the debut full length from Swallow the Sun, which will be set for a fall release from Firebox records. Until then go to the bands website to keep up with anycurrent information and news updates.

Tartarean Desire